Author: bernslily

8 Tech Innovations Changing the Way We Travel

Just imagine: some 10-15 years ago we couldn’t even think that travel would be a few clicks away from us. Now it’s a common thing to find a room in a hotel or buy a plane ticket online. Also, you can easily book a car to hire Auckland Airport for your road trip to New Zealand. Modern technology allows you to choose the best car hire deal for your special needs.

Indeed, you won’t surprise anyone with a quick search for tours and air tickets, low prices, and personalized offers, but progress doesn’t standstill. Modern tech innovations continue to improve the travel industry, so let’s look at 8 technologies that are changing our trips today…

Augmented Reality

Do you remember how Pokemon Mania took over the world in 2016? With the release of the Pokemon Go app in different parts of the planet, people took to the streets and looked for Pokemon. This is one of the most striking examples of using AR technology. Of course, the travel industry hasn’t bypassed this technology, and AR is already actively used in travel applications.

When it comes to excursions, AR can compete with a guide – just point your camera at an attraction and receive information about it. The owner of the application benefits too, as it collects information about which exhibits/sights are the most popular. reality

Advanced travel agencies use AR to show tours in detail. At the same time, navigation apps like AR City can help you get directions anywhere that Apple Maps can access. Airlines also didn’t ignore the trend. So, for example, using a smartphone camera and the KLM AR app, you can check the parameters of your hand luggage.

Virtual Reality

Agree, it would be nice to appreciate the view from the window of your hotel room before check-in. Moreover, not just look at the photo but see everything as in reality. Fortunately, VR makes it possible!

The Marriot hotel chain uses VR Postcards technology, which allows using VR glasses and an application to walk around the hotel and evaluate it before booking a room. Thus, guests can be sure of the quality of their accommodation. What’s more, the VR Postcards app also lets you travel the world directly from your hotel room.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence continues to expand the world, and it has also reached the travel industry. The main purpose of using AI in the travel segment is to analyze terabytes of data and personalize travel offers.

For example, by using artificial intelligence, The Dorchester Hotel in London regularly checks reviews and, based on this, changes the breakfast menu to meet customer requests.

Travel Applications

Install 10-15 travel apps on your phone and you’re ready to travel. It may sound dubious, but it’s true! Now, with the help of applications, you can organize all the processes – from buying air tickets and booking a hire car to finding the required location on the map and choosing a currency exchanger with an optimal rate.

Advanced travelers have been checking in for a flight using the app for a long time, but that’s not all modern apps can. All top airlines have long ago acquired mobile applications. For example, an app from KLM allows you to book tickets, check in for a flight, and also know about delays and flight changes.

Chatbots

According to research, more than half of millennials prefer to communicate through instant messengers and social networks. In just a couple of years, generation Y will account for more than half of the world’s workforce. This means the number of travelers who prefer to communicate via messengers will proportionally increase.

In connection with such statistics, airlines, car hire services, and other travel segments are actively introducing chatbots to communicate with customers. Of course, a telephone support service will still be available, but it is rapidly losing popularity.

Face recognition technology

A couple of years ago, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam began using facial recognition devices in test mode. It works as follows: after the check-in, the passenger must scan his passport, boarding pass, and face in a special kiosk. Then he goes through passport control and security control. Upon boarding the plane, the passenger must once again scan his face. If the photo matches what is already in the database, the passenger is allowed on board. Thus, when boarding, you don’t need to show your passport, which means you can save valuable time.

User-Generated Content

The desire to share experiences and create content is the main driving force behind social media. Brands realized this and started motivating users to share content that featured their product. Both sides win: the brand gets loyalty and unique content, while the user gets recognition. And in general, people have much more confidence in the photos and posts of other people than the story of the brand itself.

So the river cruise service Uniworld uses exclusively user-generated content to promote its services – potential customers can see boats and cruises through the eyes of other users.

Autonomous cars

A dozen years ago, autonomous cars seemed to be something unreal, but in 2021 this technology is already much closer to appearing in mass production. In addition to Tesla, which popularized the autonomous control feature, other automakers also picked up the self-driving trend.

Mercedes S-Class, BMW 5 Series, Volvo XC60, and Audi A8 are all already equipped with partial autopilot functions. How does this affect the travel industry? You won’t need to use the search for the correct route on your road trip – the car itself will get you where you need it.

October 11, 2021
Electric Cars: 7 Most Popular Myths that were Busted
Often, when a new product enters the market, additional information is not widely available about it, and then people turn on fantasy. Thus myths are born.

The same applies to electric vehicles. Stories about this eco-friendly transport are often frightening and make a potential buyer doubt the appropriateness of the purchase. But fortunately most of such statements are not true.

Electric cars are a symbiosis of innovation and high technology. They are in great demand around the world, so you shouldn’t doubt their excellent quality. Even car rental companies are starting to use them by offering travelers around the world. You can see for yourself by visiting Rental24H.com. This service is ready to provide a car anywhere in the world, whether it be New York, Los Angeles, or car rental Pittsburgh PA. And of course, there are electric cars in the lineup of suppliers.

Still, think electric car is a bad investment? Then let’s destroy several myths!
- The contribution of the electric vehicle to environmental protection is small
Electric cars don’t produce emissions into the environment. It’s pointless to tell such words those who question this fact. So, just imagine the following: such developed countries as Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and France have long decided at the legislative level to gradually move away from the production of cars with an internal combustion engine.

This initiative came from environmentalists, and their idea was supported by the largest national automakers. Therefore, the significant contribution of electric vehicles to environmental protection is obvious.
- Electric cars are inconvenience to use
Skeptics believe that electric cars bring more problems than good to the owner. This opinion arose because the process of charging an electric car takes a lot of time, and there are not so many charging stations. However, this is not true.

For example, you picked up electric car rental Pittsburgh PA and want to get to Washington DC. Given the distance between cities and the average power reserve of electric vehicles, you only need 1 stop to charge on the way. Powerful modern stations charge the battery up to 80% in 20 minutes. That is, after having a cup of coffee, you can continue your trip.

And if you take into account the fact that the average citizen of the city travels a total of 50-70 km per day, then you can charge the car only once every 2-3 days.
- Efficiency doesn’t pay off the high cost of an electric car
In the automotive market competition level is growing day by day. Already every major automotive company has launched its line of electric cars. This led to lower prices for such vehicles because there’s no longer a monopoly on the market. Note that some electric cars don’t differ in price from similar models with internal combustion engines.

The issue with the cost of maintenance was resolved after calculating the cost of maintaining the transport. It’s proved that after 5 years, an electric car pays for its cost by 45%. If we consider the situation with a car with ICE, then the full service over the same period of time will be equal to the car’s value.
- There is a danger of battery fire
This myth is not supported by any official document. It happened when the battery fired as a result of a collision or accident, but the same situation was repeatedly observed among owners of ordinary cars with the internal combustion engine. So, spontaneous fire of the battery is impossible anyway.
- Electric car has a bad effect on passenger health
Skeptics question the negative impact of an electric car on the health of the driver and passengers. The electromagnetic field in electric cars doesn’t differ from the range of values of this indicator in a subway car or trolleybus. So why then nobody says that riding the subway is dangerous to health? Independent non-governmental organizations investigated this issue and stated that the negative influence of the car’s electromagnetic fields on a person is too exaggerated and can’t be harmful to health.
- Battery toxicity is harmful to the environment
Throwing lithium-ion batteries into the trash is prohibited. This negatively affects the environment. But we forget that lead batteries, which are thrown into the trash without thinking, have the same effect. Especially for the recycling of electric vehicle batteries, it’s planned to build recycling plants. An electric vehicle’s battery operates an average of 8 years, after which it needs to be replaced. It will be logical that with an increase in the production of electric vehicles, the number of plants for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries will increase.
- Quiet running electric car is dangerous for a pedestrian
This myth is unsubstantiated. Pedestrians are not equally protected from a huge noisy SUV, and from a silent electric car. Modern electric vehicles are equipped with safety systems that can recognize an approaching danger in the form of an emergency and inform the driver about it. Science is moving forward – the first unmanned electric vehicles are already appearing, so driver participation in the driving process won’t be necessary soon, because the control will be performed by voice commands.
August 3, 2020